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Extra lanes and new technology on the M6 in Cheshire are already improving drivers’ journeys, according to the latest statistics.

Highways England completed work on a stretch of motorway between Holmes Chapel and Knutsford (junctions 18 to 19) last month and new figures show that traffic has been kept flowing at around 70mph for 22 hours each day.

Variable speed limits are also helping to keep the motorway congestion-free during peak times by gradually increasing and decreasing the speed limit.

Statistics from the first week of operation show that the speed limit was set at 60mph for around 100 minutes each day, and at either 50mph or 40mph for under 15 minutes a day on average.

A fourth lane has also now been opened on the northbound carriageway between Sandbach and Holmes Chapel (junctions 17 to 18), and an extra lane is due to open southbound between the same junctions early next week.

The improvements have been welcomed by mobile tyre-fitting firm TyresOnTheDrive, which is based by junction 18 of the M6.

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The entire 18-mile upgrade between Crewe and Knutsford is on schedule to be finished by the end of March.

Arun Sahni, project manager at Highways England, said: “We’ve now completed over half of the major M6 upgrade in Cheshire, and it’s great to see that drivers are already benefitting from the extra lanes and new technology we’ve introduced.

“Before we started work, this stretch of the M6 was one of the most congested motorways in the country with over 120,000 vehicles using it every day, so being able to travel at around 70mph for over 22 hours a day is making a big difference to drivers’ journeys.

“We’re now just a few weeks away from completing the entire scheme which will bring long term benefits to anyone who regularly uses the M6 to travel between the West Midlands and North West.”

The extra lanes on the M6 in Cheshire have increased the motorway’s capacity by a third and new overhead electronic signs are providing drivers with live information about their journeys, including changes in the speed limit, lane closures and incidents on the route.

Traffic sensors at the side of the motorway are being used to automatically set variable speed limits to keep traffic moving, preventing tailbacks and stop-start conditions caused by sudden braking.

New CCTV cameras also provide extensive coverage of the motorway to help Highways England’s traffic officers and the emergency services respond quickly to incidents, and frequent emergency areas provide drivers with a safe place to stop if they break down.